Let-off for looms.



v PATENTED MAR. 22, 1904." T. BRINDLE & M. 0. STEERB.

LET-OPP FOR Looms.

, APPLICATION FILED 'JAN. 31. 1902.

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M J ATTORNEYS @f/Q W UNITED STATES Patented March 22, 1904.

PATENT QFFICE.

THOMAS BRINDLE AND MERRILL O. STEERE, OF PAVVTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND.

LET-OFF FOR LOOIVIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 755,104, dated March 22, 1904.

Application filed January 31, 1902. Serial No, 92,011. No model To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that we, THoMAs BRINDLE and MERRILL O. STEERE, citizens of the United States, residing in the city of Pawtucket, in

the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Let-Offs for Looms, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to let-off devices for narrow+ware looms.

The object of our invention is to produce devices whereby several warps or patterns may be delivered from a single warp-beam with the requisite uniformity of tension, thereby increasing the warp capacity of the loom and enhancing its efficiency.

The preferred. structure of our-invention and the manner of its use are fully disclosed in the following specification and the accompanying drawing, which shows in perspective one warp-beam and the relation thereto of our new let-off devices.

The warp-beam a is mounted in beam-stands 6 Z), and to each head a of the beam are fitted two brake-shoes (Z (Z, preferably arranged diametrically opposite each other. Mounted adjacent the beam-heads, preferably on the beamstands I) 7), are the coacting levers c and f, to which are attached the brake-shoes (Z. The upper levers e are mounted on fulcra intermediate of their ends, and the brake-shoes are mounted between the said fulcra and the lever ends on which the warps act. The lower levers f are fulcrumed each at one end, the opposite end being connected with the corresponding upper lever e by the connecting-rod g and having its brake-shoe mounted intermediate the fulcrum and the said connection. It is obvious that when the ends of the levers e, on which the warps act, are caused to press their brakes upon the beam-heads their opposite ends are raised and through the connecting-rod g cause the coincident action of the levers f and of the brakeshoes attachedxthereto. The upper levers e have a certain amount of play or of backlash on their fulcra to insure that the latter shall not interfere with the mutual action of the brakeson the warp-beam.

The connecting-rod g is pivotally secured to the lever fin its forked extremity, while in its free end is secured the cross-pin /z, adapt ed to be seated in the notches 2', cut or formed across the forked end of the lever c. This mode of connection permits the ready and expeditious uncoupling of the levers e and f, the retraction of the brakes from the beam for the removal of the latter when empty and the insertion of a full beam, and recoupling of the levers e and f thereafter.

. Joining the ends j of the levers e e is the cross-bar 7?, over which the warps (indicated by the broken lines Z Z) pass and by which the brake shoes are caused .to engage their beamheads to control the delivery of the warps. Intermediate the cross-bar 7c and the fulcrum of the lever e is a rod m, on which are mounted a plurality of take-ups or slack-controllers. Each comprises two side pieces a n, tied together at their outer ends by the rod 0 and a cross-piece immediately above the rod sufiiciently removed therefrom to admit the eye of the weight-holder q, permitting the latter to swing freely, but close enough to prevent the weight-holder from being shaken off by the shifting and vibration of the take-up.

'Adjacent the ends of the take-up is the roll 0* under which the warp passes and whereby it sustains the take-up, and, when the resistance to delivery of the warp from its beam becomes excessive, whereby it raises the takeup and causes its engagement with the crossbar 1 6 to release the brakes (Z and permit the warp-beam to rotate freely:

The weights 8 are removable and can be Varied as required to suit the strength of the warp-threads or the degree of tension under which it is desirable to maintain them during the weaving.

The operation of our device is as follows: The several warps are drawn from the beam over the rod 76 each under its roll 7 and thence to the weaving. As the several warps have been wound upon the beam together they will deliver therefrom with nearly uniform tension, the variation never being so great'that when one take-up is raised into engagement with the cross-rod another will be swung down to its lowest limit of movement. The take-ups appropriately weighted and bearing each on its own warp maintain the warps under proper tension. In case undue resistance to the rotation of the beam occurs the warps tighten under the added tension and raise the take-ups until that on the tautest warp, being the highest, engages the bar 12 and causes the brakes to release their beamheads, permitting the beam to rotate freely. In case it rotates too freely and permits the warps to slacken unduly the take-ups fall, causing the tension of the yarn to act on the cross-bar Z: to set the brakes on the beam again to retard its rotation.

Heretofore it has been customary to employ a separate beam for each warp, and thus a material extent of space was sacrificed for beam stands and heads. By using a less number of beams the number of heads and stands is reduced, and the space formerly occupied by them is available for warps.

As the several warps on each beam are wound thereon concurrently, they will all be of substantially the same length and will be exhausted at substantially the same time, so that when piecing the warps the operator has but one beam to handle instead of several. The additional weight to be handled is not considerable, as the weight of the beam lies largely in the heads, which are of cast-iron and of large diameter and in which no change is made because of the increased length of the beam. This saving in handling affects not only the weaving operation, but also the operation of warping as well.

A further saving is effected in the time of the operator, for where separate beams were employed for each individual warp several warps would become exhausted at different and distant parts of the loom, and the operator must travel some distance to attend to all of them. The use of a less number of beams tends to diminish this, and as above pointed out the winding of several warps on a single beam insures that when one warp demands attention several adjacent warps will receive attention at the same time.

Without limiting ourselves to the precise form of structure hereinbefore described, we claim as our invention- 1. The combination, in a let-off device with a warp-beam, of brakes to control the rotation of the warp-beam, a plurality of take-ups each controlling the tension of a separate warp, and connections between the said brakes and takeups whereby the brakes may be shifted by any one of the take-ups.

2. The combination in a let-off device with a warp-beam containing a plurality of warps, a separate take-up for each warp, brakes engaging the beam to retard its rotation,and connections between the take-ups and the brakes whereby an excess of tension on any one warp shall cause the brakes to release the beam.

3. In a let-off mechanism, the combination with a warp-beam to contain a plurality of warps, and brake devices to control the rotation of the beam having a member to be engaged by the several warps, of independent, pivoted take-ups, each bearing upon and supported by a separate warp and each adapted to independently control the said brake devices.

4. In a let-0H device, the combination with a brake mechanism having a member engaged with the warp, of independent movable members connected with and controlling the said brake mechanism, each member engaging one or more warp-threads.

5. A let-off device for looms comprising two pairs of oppositely-arranged and pivoted levers carrying brake-shoes, one lever of each pair having an open and vertical slot and notches each side of the slot, a connecting-rod between said levers of each pair to cause them to move in opposite directions, each said rod being pivoted to one lever and having a crosspin to rest in the said notches, a connectingrod between the lever of one pair and the corresponding lever of the other pair, and a weighted frame pivoted to the last-mentioned lever and adapted to rest upon the warp which is passed over the last-mentioned rod.

6. In a let-off device for looms, the combination with a warp-beam, of levers f having brake-shoes (l engaging with the beam and pivotally-mounted connecting-rods 9 having cross-pins it, levers 0 also having brakes to coact with on the levers f, and notches 11in which the cross-pin [L can be seated to join the levers eand f, a cross-bar Z". and a rod m, a plurality of take-ups mounted on the rod m, having weights hung from their outer ends,and guiderolls mounted adjacent the said ends, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS BRINDLE. MERRILL O. STEERE. Witnesses:

T. W. GUTHRIE, EDWIN C. SMITH. 

